JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Officials from Jackson said that a treatment facility at the heart of Mississippi’s water problems made significant gains over night and on Saturday.
According to a press release, O.B. Curtis Water Plant saw an increase in its total plant production to 86 lbs per square inch. This is close enough to the goal of 87 PSI, or higher.
” The outlook is stable”, the city stated in the statement. However, there are additional risks as adjustments and repairs are done that could lead to fluctuations in progress .”
The city stated that most customers need water pressure. However, only a handful of south Jackson areas may have low to no water pressure.
” Work continues at the plant on the conventional and membrane systems. The initial focus of this work is to increase the O.B.’s production capacity. According to the release, Curtis facility. “Increasing production will increase stability in water supply .”
Teams representing Florida’s rural water associations and Georgia are on-site to assist with the repair and restoration of many automated systems. This will allow for better water management, according to the city.
Mayor Chokwe antar Lumumba stated at a news conference, that once pressure has been restored, it is possible to worry about straining aging pipes.
Even if water starts to run again, there’s no way of knowing when it will become drinkable.
Long-standing issues at O.B. were exacerbated by last week’s torrential rains and subsequent flooding of the Pearl River. Curtis treatment facility, causing a drop of pressure across Jackson. Residents were already subject to a boil-water order for a month due to low water quality.
The problems led to an emergency declaration on Monday by the Republican Governor and a declaration of disaster from President Joe Biden.
The Mississippi State Department of Health stated that residents might see flares around the plant while crews transfer ammonia from the tank.
” There may be a controlled burning-off of gas that could cause visible flares into the sky,” Jim Craig (a state health official) stated in a press release. There is no reason to be concerned and no danger to the .”
public.
Anhydrous ammonia, a non-flammable colorless liquefied gas, is also known as The vapor is lighter in weight than air, and it has the same pungent smell as household ammonia. To burn off any gas that escapes the product transfer and to repair the ammonia tank, a propane flare has been installed at the location.
The National Guard was called in to assist with water distribution. According to the state emergency agency, nearly 2.8 million water bottles were distributed between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon. People who had brought along their containers were also offered nonpotable water for flushing the toilets and other purposes.
The entire city was without water at one time or had low pressure. It was not possible to determine how many households and businesses were restored.
